Even The Sun, the ultimate scrounger bashers, thinks Steve Hilton’s latest idea is “daft”, writes Richard Darlington, head of news at the IPPR.
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Richard Darlington is head of news at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)
Even The Sun, the ultimate scrounger bashers, thinks Steve Hilton’s latest idea is “daft”.
On page 2 today they quote a source close to Iain Duncan Smith saying the idea to cut another £25bn from the welfare bill is “absolute nonsense”, adding:
“Steve’s gone totally rogue.”
Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott says:
“This is wacky even by Hilton’s standards.”
But let’s take a moment to test the hypothesis. If you really did want to get £25bn cut from the welfare bill, how would you actually do it? Try and do-it-yourself.
Here are your options:
• Breaking down the benefits bill 21 Mar 2012
Even if you entirely scrapped all out of work benefits – jobseeker’s allowance, plus income support and ESA – you’d come up £4bn short. You’d have to almost halve the state pension – not really a vote winner. Or you could entirely scrap Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit or Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Like The Sun says, daft. Bye, bye Steve.
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41 Responses to “£25bn welfare cuts? Hilton’s plan is absolute nonsense”
Richard Darlington
Prof Mike Brewer, says a £10bn cut would be “incredibly difficult” and £25bn “virtually impossible” – try it yourself: http://t.co/JvcvWD1K
Brnch Sec
Frm earlier: £25bn welfare cuts? Hilton’s plan is absolute nonsense, writes @IPPR’s @RDarlo: http://t.co/tjEo7IqB
EB Bugler/rtwtr@NE36
£25bn welfare cuts? Hilton’s plan is absolute nonsense, writes @IPPR’s @RDarlo: http://t.co/tjEo7IqB
Richard Gadsden
WTC, replaced WFTC, which replaced Family Credit – and before that, there was Supplementary Benefit.
In-work benefits go all the way back to National Assistance in 1948
Alan Cowan
welfarecuts nonsense http://t.co/T4RMgSOV